Salesforce (CRM) shares declined on Tuesday after the enterprise software maker disclosed an agreement to acquire Cresta, an artificial intelligence startup focused on call-centre operations. The deal marks the latest in a series of acquisitions Salesforce has pursued to deepen its AI capabilities.
The stock dropped roughly 1.65% to $222.45, placing it among the weakest performers in the Dow Jones Industrial Average on the session. The announcement arrived as the shares were already heading toward a fourth straight day of losses.
Financial terms of the Cresta transaction were not made public. Salesforce said the deal is expected to close in the first quarter of fiscal 2028 — the February-to-April 2027 window — subject to customary conditions, including regulatory clearances.
What Cresta brings to Salesforce
Cresta operates a voice-first platform for customer experience, offering AI agents built to manage complex, high-volume customer calls. Salesforce said the purchase would bolster its Agentforce and Service Cloud products by unifying customer interactions, conversations and outcomes.
Kishan Chetan, executive vice president and general manager of Agentforce and Service Cloud at Salesforce, noted that voice interactions rank among the most difficult areas of customer service. He said Cresta has built voice agents capable of handling complex calls for some of the world's largest brands.
A widening string of AI deals
The Cresta agreement follows several other transactions. In late October, Salesforce agreed to acquire marketing software provider Braze in an all-cash deal valued at approximately $5.7 billion. It also agreed to buy AI-powered analytics platform Loops last month.
Earlier moves included the purchase of AI customer-service provider Fin for $3.6 billion, announced in June, and an agreement to acquire data management company Informatica for roughly $8 billion in May 2025. The Informatica deal was designed to reinforce the data infrastructure underpinning Salesforce's AI products.
Wall Street questions the spending
The pace of dealmaking has not won over all investors. Premiums paid as Salesforce assembles its AI portfolio have drawn scrutiny on Wall Street, and the share-price reaction suggests lingering caution about the scale and timing of returns from these transactions.
Salesforce has pointed to acquisitions as a contributor to its revenue outlook. In its fiscal second-quarter earnings report, the company projected fiscal 2027 revenue growth of 11% to 12%, with Informatica expected to add slightly more than three percentage points. It also raised its full-year revenue forecast by $200 million, partly reflecting anticipated contributions from pending acquisitions, including Contentful and Fin.
Software sector faces AI disruption fears
Salesforce's acquisition strategy is unfolding against a challenging backdrop for software companies. Concerns that artificial intelligence could upend traditional software business models — sometimes referred to as the "SaaSpocalypse" — have weighed on investor sentiment across the sector.
That uncertainty may be making it harder for Salesforce to gain market support, even as it invests in companies intended to strengthen its AI offerings. Year to date, the shares have fallen around 12%, compared with a 3.76% decline in the iShares Expanded Tech-Software Sector ETF.
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice.
